The importance of confidence and connections in your Job search!

As many of you may know I recently graduated and will be moving onto a masters progamme. However, A lot of my peers are out in the market looking for jobs, so I think this will be a helpful article to some of you! Two of the most under rated tools when people are looking for jobs; Confidence and connections.

In todays world technology seems to have taken over everything from socialising, to the food industry and even the world of work. There is a lot of speculation around technology in the form of smart phones, tablets and gadgets having the same effect as drugs such as cocaine, on young children. When it is taken away they have withdrawal symptoms and show signs of addiction when using their gadgets. This links to my article in that the world of work is also being computerised, one can search and apply for a job, all online! In the comfort of our own homes. A wise man once told me, in any career, aim to be indispensable, an absolute necessity to your company. In my opinion, this process should start form the job hunt! Put yourself out there to be found, don’t find yourself a job, let the job find you.

Confidence

confidence

One of the key characteristics that is crucial in any job hunt is confidence. Be confident about your skills, experience and background. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will. You need to approach companies with a mentality that will cause them to take action. In order to be a active job seeker you need to be out in the field, meeting company heads, meeting like-minded individuals and potential employers, or give them a call and set up a meeting? The key is to portray yourself as a confident and active job seeker.

So let’s put this into action; say you see a job online at XYZ company, your next step should be to make a plan of action.

How can I make this company notice me?

How can I get in touch with this company?

How can I impress the company?

What networks can I use to connect with this company?

The answers to these questions differs for each sector, but the same questions apply. You need to make direct contact, or get inside the network of that company. Meet the decision making employees and ask them about their employment procedures, their company ethos and daily goals. By making direct connection/contact with the company you are showing initiative and genuine interest, yo are more likely to be remembered when they pick up your CV or application, and more likely to be hired when they’e making the decision.

Connections

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I am not saying the internet is totally useless and you shouldn’t use it for your job hunt, because the internet is where you will find your connections. Just don’t be a hermit and sit at home applying for a million jobs a day.

There are countless sites online like meet up.com that advertise regular “Networking” opportunities. These are the events and gatherings you want to be at, find a like minded group and attend their regular meetings. I once told a friend to attend a regular event with investment bankers, through his meetings with these financial gurus he got into a banking circle, through which he secured his first internship in his final year of University. You’d be surprised at the amount of head hunters and top bosses that attend these meet ups and events!

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Drink water? Wash your face? Check your Facebook? Twitter? Snap chat? Wrong. The first thing you should be doing is checking your LinkedIn. Connect with like-minded people, companies and big bosses. Dropping messages to potential employers and companies can’t hurt, and making the right circle on LinkedIn gives you the extra edge to being “Found” (Remember I said earlier you shouldn’t be finding a job, you need to be found). If you want to be an active Job Seeker, you need to be on the right networks.

I hope you enjoyed this article, if you have any tips you would like to share drop a comment below or get in touch!

Madeeha is the Co- Founder and Chief Editor of DxB Blog,. Madeeha is an exiting blogger based in the UK. She posses over 4 years blogging experience, as well as events and marketing. Currently working along side Khawar to become a leader in the UAE online world.